Greetings Nikon Lens Forum...major Issue inside...

Check this, I have a serious problem and I'm trying to prevent having a $1700 paper weight on my hands!  You see, I sent my 28-70 F/2.8 in for repair at a local D.C. repair shop,...(Google).  THis was due to the lens suddenly stopped zooming or focusing,...I forget because it's been at the shop for so long!  Apparently, there is a piece in the lens that enables the "lens" to zoom!  I was told that it's a precision piece that is shaped like a tuning fork, etc.  Anyway, I'm being told that Nikon doesn't have the part in stock.  Well, I was told that for 4 to 6 months.  Nor did they have the tech data so that it could be made at a local machine shop, etc.  Note, my lens has been out of commission since July of 2012!  Yes,..that long!  Well, about a month ago, I was finally asked,..."do you want us to send your lens to Nikon?"  What!,...I'm thinking,...damn,...you could have done that 5 months ago.  Well, they sent it to NIkon,..I believe it was sent to Nikon in Melville NY and about 30 days passed again before I did a status check and NOW I'm told it cannot be repaired!  So naturally, I'm thinking at like $1700-per-hour!  I cannot believe or wnat to accept this.  I then asked the Customer Service 'person',..."So, what are you saying,...I will have a $1700 paperweight now?"  He didn't answer,...we a little talked more,...and again I asked the question,...Are you saying I'll now have a $1700 paperweight?,...and he finally answered,..."that's about the size of it".

Now, I may not get the lens repaired,..but I'll prolly never spend big bucks on another lens ever again!

Nikon, this is unexcuseable!  Fail,...Major Fail,..Freak'n Major Fail!

Please, recommendations are on this are highly encouraged!  Thank you vm...

JMD-70 wrote:

Check this, I have a serious problem and I'm trying to prevent having a $1700 paper weight on my hands! You see, I sent my 28-70 F/2.8 in for repair at a local D.C. repair shop,...(Google). ...

...

Nikon, this is unexcuseable! Fail,...Major Fail,..Freak'n Major Fail!

Please, recommendations are on this are highly encouraged! Thank you vm...

-- hide signature --

JMD
...D3s/D3/WT-4/Eye-Fi 8GB X2 Pro
......ITP Pro 2.0
.........Nikon forever~
Yes! The Eye-Fi works with D3 and D3s!

As I understand, you should blame the shop you send it to, not Nikon...

I believe this lens was discuontinued in 2007. You may want to verify a couple of things:

1- How long is Nikon committed to keep repair parts after discontinuing a lens? I thought that was 10 years.

2- Why did Nikon say the lens cannot be repaired? was it parts availability, or economical cost of repair, which might indicate they found other issues?

If number 2, that is always a problem. I would try some of the biggest independents, such as APS in Morton grove.

Hate these situations, let us know how you make out. Good luck

Ozzie

pavi1 wrote:

You should have sent it to nikon.

If out of warranty, I'd send it to APS over Nikon

RB

Ozzie, thk you vm for your reply.  Supposely, the simple part needed is no longer in Nikon's parts bin.

I'm going to attempt to get a part number,...and some technical information on the lens.  Supposively, the cost to repoar the lens would have been about $250.

In addition,...the shop told me they had 4 other 28-70 F/2.8 lenses in for the same issue!  Imagine that...

Note, I blame the shop for poor customer service,...I blame Nikon for not having the part on a lense that is within the 10 year span it was last produce.

I know that foreign auto mfrs must supply parts for at least 10 years when they no longer sell cars in the U.S.  Peugeot is the only mfr I know that came to the U.S. and failed and had to do this,....remember the Peugeot 505 Turbo commercials,...a red Peugeot crashing into the bedroom,....well I bought one (Black),...and the value failed as fast as I made the payments,...it literally fell apart,...and to this day, you couldn't give me a freak'n Peugeot. Anyway,...digressing!

Thk you for a sensible reply...

I'm going to try to get a Part number from the local shop and see where that takes me.

Thk guys....as this is one paperweight I'd like to have mounted on my D3.

JMD-70 wrote:

Check this, I have a serious problem and I'm trying to prevent having a $1700 paper weight on my hands! You see, I sent my 28-70 F/2.8 in for repair at a local D.C. repair shop,...(Google). THis was due to the lens suddenly stopped zooming or focusing,...I forget because it's been at the shop for so long! Apparently, there is a piece in the lens that enables the "lens" to zoom! I was told that it's a precision piece that is shaped like a tuning fork, etc. Anyway, I'm being told that Nikon doesn't have the part in stock. Well, I was told that for 4 to 6 months. Nor did they have the tech data so that it could be made at a local machine shop, etc. Note, my lens has been out of commission since July of 2012! Yes,..that long! Well, about a month ago, I was finally asked,..."do you want us to send your lens to Nikon?" What!,...I'm thinking,...damn,...you could have done that 5 months ago. Well, they sent it to NIkon,..I believe it was sent to Nikon in Melville NY and about 30 days passed again before I did a status check and NOW I'm told it cannot be repaired! So naturally, I'm thinking at like $1700-per-hour! I cannot believe or wnat to accept this. I then asked the Customer Service 'person',..."So, what are you saying,...I will have a $1700 paperweight now?" He didn't answer,...we a little talked more,...and again I asked the question,...Are you saying I'll now have a $1700 paperweight?,...and he finally answered,..."that's about the size of it".

I can feel you pain, but ...

First, as several others have pointed out, it seem to me the main culprit in causing the long delay is your local shop, not Nikon.

Second, this is a lens that was replaced by the AF-S 24/70/2.8 in 2007, and as far as I understand the 28-70 was actually not produced for a while even before that, so it is probably at least like six years ago they stopped manufacturing this lens. Now, supposedly, Nikon aim at keeping spare parts around for ten years after a lens was last manufactured, but the 28-70/2.8 - as nice as it is in many other ways - is unfortunately a design prone to many breakdowns. Search this forum, and you will find quite a few threads on the very same brakedown you had. So Nikon might have run out of some of these spare parts a bit earlier then expected.

Third, talk to any experienced Nikon support technician about disassembling, repairing and assembling back lenses and they will usually gladly tell you about it. But if you mention the 28-70/2.8 it is very likely the same technician will jump and look pale all of a sudden. That lens has a horrible internal design (part of why it is prone to breaking down) and is an absolute nightmare to repair. I had one 28-70 where the focus motor died, in most AF-S lenses a fairly easy repair. But the guy owning our local Nikon repair shop (a guy with some 35 years of experience repairing Nikon stuff) showed me the instructions for taking apart the 28-70 and plainly said he was reluctant to do it since the repair would cost quite a bit more then I paid for the lens ... (ok, I got it fairly cheap, but anyway)

Now, I may not get the lens repaired,..but I'll prolly never spend big bucks on another lens ever again!

You had the bad luck of choosing one of the worst lens designs ever in a repair perspective. Not all other lenses are that prone to breaking down and being so expensive and difficult to repair.

Nikon, this is unexcuseable! Fail,...Major Fail,..Freak'n Major Fail!

Please, recommendations are on this are highly encouraged! Thank you vm...

Judging from your gear list, you seem like a pro or very ambitious enthusiast. My advice: Get a AF-S 24-70/2.8 and just get on with your photography ... The 28-70, nice as it is in many ways, might not be worth the effort any more.

Ok, stupid question I know, bthe won't AFS lenses focus manually, even if their motors fail?

Until recently, I owned only AFD lenses, and have not had any of my AFS lenses fail........yet

ozzie

ADMint wrote:

Once again, good ole Nikon support(ers) to the rescue.

OP, thanks for reporting. My 28-70 auto focus motor died on me about 6 months ago and I "was" thinking about sending it off the Melville for repair but I'm not so sure now.

Incidentally I bought my lens in May of 2005. Perhaps it's a bit silly of me to expect such a high dollar piece of equipment to last at least 10 years. But hey, Nikon made it, so I should be glad it lasted as long as it did.

That was a bit rude on Nikon

And no... this wasn't a workhorse lens that seen constant use all the time. And I was just talking to an old friend a couple of weeks ago and he informed me his 28-70 suddenly died as well. Just wow.

Look, the 28-70/2.8 is a notorious lens for breakdowns and expensive repairs. All manufacturers have some lenses which turn out to be less successful designs (optically, in terms of durability, or both), if you think this is limited to Nikon, you need to think again.

And professional grade or not, more extreme designs (and back in 1999 the 28-70/2.8 was indeed a pretty extreme design) are more prone to problems then more pedestrian designs.

I have several lenses which have happily clicked away several hundreds of thousands of images, and still works as well as when I first bough them - used. I have also had a couple of breakdowns, one of them a AF-S 28-70/2.8 What broke down? The focus motor died, probably caused by the entire chassi of the lens being somewhat bent out of shape from a fall or something which put heavy stress on the motor.

Always insure all your equipment!!!! In the USA a simple home owners insurance rider would have cost 1% a year. $17.00 well spent! Even for 7 years at $119. Your lens would have been covered. If you are a working pro, which I suspect you are not, the insurance is more costly.

If you rent, rather than own, the place where you live you might have renters insurance available. I have roughly $10,000 worth of equipment insured. Theft, breakage, disappearance, accidents, etc. No lens filters needed. Peace of mind for less than $9 a month. Something to think about.